People with alleged ties to a specific part of the Montreal Mafia were arrested Tuesday morning following an investigation by the RCMP that began four years ago.
In a statement, the RCMP announced: “Charges (have been) laid against 16 people in connection with cocaine trafficking. According to the investigation led by officers from the Organized and Financial Crime Program, proceeds from the sale of drugs were allegedly used to finance renovations to buildings linked to members of the alleged criminal organization, who are also believed to have operated an illegal gaming house in Montreal.”
Fifteen people, including at least four women, were arrested and one suspect is still being sought.
Among the people who face charges are members of the Lopez clan, including alleged leader Franco Lopez, 61, of Montreal. His brother Pasquale, 53, was also arrested Tuesday morning.
Many of the other people rounded up by the Mounties in the investigation do not have criminal records.
During March 2024, Les entreprises Frajo Inc., a construction company on 9th Ave. owned by Franco Lopez, was searched by the RCMP along with other buildings in Montreal. It was part of the same investigation, dubbed Project Chrome.
The Montreal police K9 unit takes part in an RCMP raid March 26, 2024, part of Project Chrome. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
The people arrested Tuesday “face multiple charges, including trafficking cocaine, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, laundering proceeds of crime, possession of and trafficking in property obtained by crime, conspiracy, offences committed for the benefit of or at the direction of a criminal organization, and various offences under the Income Tax Act,” the RCMP said in the statement.
“The charges are the culmination of Project Chrome, which began in 2022 and was led by officers from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) and the Money Laundering Investigative Team (MLIT), with the assistance of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).”
Franco and Pasquale Lopez were part of a group of brothers who were arrested in 2015 in Project Magot-Mastiff. They were charged with drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic in drugs, and possession of money obtained through crime.
The charges filed against the brothers were ultimately placed under a stay of proceedings at the Montreal courthouse on Oct. 10, 2019.
Several hearings at the Montreal courthouse that led to the stay of proceedings were held behind closed doors. One court decision revealed that the prosecution was late in divulging evidence concerning an informant who was key to parts of the Magot-Mastiff investigation.
A third brother who was arrested in Magot-Mastiff, Giuseppe Lopez, was killed in 2023 in the Dominican Republic.
On Tuesday, the RCMP said that as “a result of this investigation, six buildings linked to members of the alleged criminal organization are subject to restraint orders. The total value of the property seized, which also includes 14 kg of cocaine and over $145,000 in cash, is over $9 million.”
Several of the people arrested Tuesday morning appeared before a Quebec Court judge through a video conference at the Montreal courthouse.
Most, if not all, were detained at the Montreal police east operations centre in St-Léonard when they appeared. That included the two Lopez brothers, who were represented by defence lawyer Danièle Roy.
The Crown agreed that the people arrested could be released if they followed a series of conditions.
As part of his conditions, Franco Lopez agreed to make a deposit of $75,000.
He is allowed to reside at three different addresses, including two in Montreal, while his case is pending.
He is not allowed to be in bars or in restaurants that serve alcohol, with the exception of a pizzeria where he works.
Pasquale Lopez was required to make a $30,000 deposit in order to be released. He is also not allowed to be inside bars or restaurants that serve alcohol with the exception of a restaurant where he works and the pizzeria where his brother works.
The case is scheduled to return to court in December.